Your war with snoring and sleep apnea: Bad for your health and your love life
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 1:58PM Email Article 
Dr. Macdonald has been treating snoring for his patients for over 10 years. One of the first in the Bay Area, he is now considered a Bay Area snoring expert.
Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at the Alameda County Medical Center for over 10 years, Dr. Macdonald is uniquely qualified in snoring management, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
There are 3 primary contributors to snoring.
1) Soft palate. Obstruction to the airway in the mouth results in a vibration of the tissues in the back of the throat. This auditory snoring sound comes from the mouth. This airway obstruction is usually treated with the Pillar® Procedure.
2) Nasal. Obstruction of the airway in the nose. This auditory snoring sound comes from the nose. This airway obstruction is usually corrected with septoplasty surgery, turbinate reduction, or a nasal valve.
3) Oral. When the tongue gets in the way, the auditory snoring sound comes from the mouth. It is usually treated with the following procedures: tongue reduction, maxomandibular advancement, hyoid suspension, or genioglossus advancement.
Lifestyle and aging also can contribute to snoring. Obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking increase the chances and intensity. As we age, our tissue elasticity decreases, which gives less protection for the airwaves.
Healthy sleep habits. You can see how snoring effects others around you, and maybe even have a dedicated "snoring room" in your home. This is more common than you may imagine as the war on snoring heats up. That steam engine in your bed is bad for your health and even worse on your love life, but it is ultimately about you and your health.
There are many health consequences to sleep-disoriented breathing depending on the severity.
The health consequences of snoring include:
* Daytime sleepiness
* Poor mental and emotional health
* Decreased productivity
* Slower reaction time
If your breathing is obstructed enough while you sleep, your snoring will be accompanied by a collapse of the airways either in the nasal airway, soft palate, tongue base or pharyngeal walls. This would indicate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) where the consequences are more severe such as:
* Hypertension
* Heart attack
* Stroke
* Type II diabetes
* Depression
* Cognitive dysfunction
* Impotence
* Sexual dysfunction
* Reduced libido
* Morning headaches
There are some holistic approaches to better sleep that could help alleviate some of your systems such as relaxation, yoga, calming herbs and essential oils, massage and soft music before sleeping, allowing your inherent natural sleepiness to have its best chance for slumber.
Don't let snoring ruin the quality of your life. It's up to you to take action.